Shopping for a 280 Sundancer

[Seevee]

All,

Shopping for a 280 Dancer, in the range of 300 hours or so (2003 to 2006) might consider the 290, but don't like the layout in the newer ones.

A few questions for 280 experts...

Are the 4.3 engines powerful enough to move this boat along, especially with 4 and full gas? How about the Ablpa 1 or Bravo 1 drives? Any issues?

Good and bads on this boat?

Plan is to use it on the west Florida inter coastal, occasional overbites for two. Short trips, up to about 50 miles.

Also, looking at the 290 Chaparral as another contender. Comments?

Thanks

Seevee

 

[Bucit]

I have a 2005 280 with the 4.3l motors and Alpha 1 Gen 2 drives. Really no issues with getting on plane but I always use the tabs to reduce stress on the motors and drives. We go to Sarasota (south) and Caladesi Island / Carlouel YC (north) every year. I run the ICW or the gulf depending on the weather. The boat handles quite a bit. We have stayed 4 days 3 nights on the boat with 2 adults and a 5 year old. Not too bad you just have to watch what the wife packs for herself and our daughter. LOL The Alpha's are pretty bullet proof so no complaints there either.

 

[Seevee]

Thanks Bucit,

Good info!

 

[eweise]

I have a 2005 280 with the 4.3's. I have had no issues getting up on plane. I do use the trim tabs and would not hesitate making the decision for the 4.3's vs the 5.0's. There is much more room with the V-6's.

 

[Seevee]

I have a 2005 280 with the 4.3's. I have had no issues getting up on plane. I do use the trim tabs and would not hesitate making the decision for the 4.3's vs the 5.0's. There is much more room with the V-6's.

Sounds like a nice boat.
Question for you and others: Is there much difference between the 2003 model and 2005 or 06? I've looked at an 03 in good shape, less hours and seems identical to a 05 I looked at, with a $$20k price difference. Sees like the way to go.

Also, my last boat was a 31 Formula PC. It was too big for my location, but the amenities were great and plenty of room. I'm concerned about enough room for the little things on the 280, like coolers, garbage storage, life jackets easy to reach, etc. Is this an issue?

 

[Bucit]

I don;t think there is much difference with the 2003 to a 2005 or 2006 other than maybe the colors of canvas/stripes and the cabin might have ruffled cushions and straight flat type cushions.

Not great places for coolers but you can make do. There are some spots in the cabin where I have my life jacket bag and other mandatory safety items. I agree that the 4.3's give you some extra wiggle room in the ER over thee 5.0's. I have a neighbor who has those and his ER is tiiiight.

 

[trflgrl]

I'm no help on the performance questions, but FWIW on your potential downsizing:

If you already have good food/beverage/cooler management habits, great. If you haven't had to think about it before, read on. Several friends have 250 - 280 DAs and have become experts at minimizing their gear load but keeping things cold from Fri afternoon/evening through Sunday all through the summer. Our boat is roomier but still use most of the suggestions.

Plan to freeze beverages that are in plastic bottles or other flexible packaging, like water, juice/juice boxes, and sports drinks; we keep a supply of them in the home freezer at all times. For any that can't be frozen, chill them well before putting in the cooler. Freeze meats and any other food products that won't be damaged, in the largest chunks/packages practical. We vacuseal pork chops, steaks, chicken, etc. (including marinade for some items) and other stuff, then defrost on the counter in the cabin....or on a towel on the sunny dash if we need it faster!

Use ice or ice substitutes in the largest sizes possible--slows the melt rate and reduces your cost through the season for buying cubed. As ice melts and water collects, don't drain it unless you have ice or other cold items to replace it.

Keep beverages/snacks separate from meal food so the food cooler stays closed as much as possible. If you can find a bev cooler that has a small reach-through opening in its top, all the better so you don't have to open the whole thing to grab a drink or a tub of dip.

Have fun with your search!

 

[Seevee]

Good points, thx.

 

[Seevee]

Made an offer on the 2003 that I mentioned above. Nice seller, seems honest and easy to work with. Boat seems solid with less than 300 hours. We'll see.

 

[Ididntdoit]

2003 is a great year - no smartcrap gauges and no cool Fuel III - be aware the range sucks on a 280 and storage is very minimal also its a ***** to fill the water tank as the vent system sucks....really though, those are the only significant faults

 

[Seevee]

2003 is a great year - no smartcrap gauges and no cool Fuel III - be aware the range sucks on a 280 and storage is very minimal also its a ***** to fill the water tank as the vent system sucks....really though, those are the only significant faults

Thanks, will look at those items in the pre purchase inspection. Range is WAY more than I need, in the 100+ mile range, so no issue. I'm not a long distance boater... any more than a few hours, I fly. And, yes, the storage seems minimal, and will have to deal with that. Could be fine for my needs and if I really need more I can sell and upgrade.

But will have to check out the water filling issue... that's a must to work.

And BTW, what's the smartcrap gauges and the cool Fuel III? is that on later boats?

 

[Bucit]

2003 is a great year - no smartcrap gauges and no cool Fuel III - be aware the range sucks on a 280 and storage is very minimal also its a ***** to fill the water tank as the vent system sucks....really though, those are the only significant faults

I've never had an issue or problem filling my water tank? Maybe you had a kink in yours or it was clogged somewhere?

 

[Henry Boyd]

Thanks, will look at those items in the pre purchase inspection. Range is WAY more than I need, in the 100+ mile range, so no issue. I'm not a long distance boater... any more than a few hours, I fly. And, yes, the storage seems minimal, and will have to deal with that. Could be fine for my needs and if I really need more I can sell and upgrade.

But will have to check out the water filling issue... that's a must to work.

And BTW, what's the smartcrap gauges and the cool Fuel III? is that on later boats?

"Smartcrap" is an attempt at humor to describe SmartCraft. SC is mercruisers implementation of the CAN Buss network technology that is used in just about every modern car. It networks the engine computer to sensors and allows easy rigging of the gauges and integration with external systems like GPS. I upgraded our 280 and think it's one of the best upgrades I've done. BTW if the engines you buy are SC capable, they are using the technology whether you have the SC gauges installed or not.

On the water fill we had never had a problem filling the water tank until the end of last season. My sense is that something got into the vent line and plugged it up. I plan to pull the vent line and clean it this spring.

Henry


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[Seevee]

Well,

The 280 purchase is progressing slow. There's a problem with the generator, and hard to get someone out there to look at it.

A few questions that have come up:
Getting some sort of engine electronic monitoring systems has been mentioned, but the motors have to have the capability of accepting them. Would they have that, or who would I call to find out, and is this a worth while mod? I find in aviation it's a must... always know the engine parameters, temps on each cylinder, pressures, fuel flow, cooling issues, etc.

Also, how can one assess the Alpha one outdrives? They seem to be bullet proof but these have never been taken apart. Is pulling them apart worth while for an inspection?

Thanks

 

[KnotEasy]

Have a leak-down test done on the drives.

 

[Tim Jodice]

What make and model of aircraft do you have?

 

[Seevee]

What make and model of aircraft do you have?

Beech B58 Baron... it has a drinking problem like I do..... too much gas, but a very capable machine. Love it, and the Admiral loves it, too... and she's also a pilot, which works well.

 

[Seevee]

All,
(Should have posted this here instead of the "new to the forum" post):

Spend this afternoon on the boat, going over things, operators manual, operations, checking things.... a few dumb questions:

I can't get the Nav lights on. The anchor lite comes on, but when I push the Nav lite button, only the anchor lite stays on. No red green or rear white. Am I missing a switch or something?

Is there a switch to turn the panel lights on, or is it just adjusting the intensity. Couldn't get them on either.

Where is the water pump switch and level indicator. Book says in main panel, but not there on this boat. Need to figure that out, because tomorrow I'm checking the hot water heater and want to be sure there's water in there.

And, when one fills the water tank, and turns the pump on, does the hot water tank always fill, or is there another switch? And when the hot water tank is full, can one add more water to the main tank?
====
A few more dumb questions on the 280:

Is there a coffee maker hidden somewhere? I can't find one.

The stereo doesn't come on, is there a separate switch for that?

And when the water pump is on (when I find the switch), does that fill the head after flushing, or do I need to turn on the switch next to the potty. This on has the macerator. Also, how does that work?

Where is the water pump located... there's suppose to be a filter on it to change.

Does anyone have a good parts source for this boat? There are a number of little things I'll replace. Cup holder, aft shower door, windlass control covers in front, windlass hatch actuator......plus a lot of consumables.... plugs, filters, etc.

None of the above is addressed in the owners manual. The manual is fairly poor for descriptions (but my other SeaRays were just as bad).

Overall, a pretty nice boat... small, but economical and easy to handle and maintain. Can't go too far wrong with this boat.

Thanks much.

 

[Seevee]

Have a leak-down test done on the drives.

What is that?

 

[BillK2632]

I think he meant pressure test. If the last water pump service is unknown, I would pull them pressure test, change the water pump impellers and gear lube. Check the alignment and inspect bellows.


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